Best Way to Mop Floors

Tile floors are beautiful, and if done right, they can be easy to take care of. There are so many great tile patterns to choose from, it’s an obvious choice for some areas of the house. Some houses even have tile for miles, and who can blame anyone for such a choice. There are some tricks to keeping this versatile, enduring flooring in top shape. Let’s take a look.

1. Find the best cleaning agent. It can be tempting to use whatever you have on hand, but the best cleaner is the one you are the most experience with, in terms of getting the desired finish on the floor. The second best is one that is made for your exact kind of tile. There are so many variations, from granite, adobe finish, porcelain – certain cleaning agents lend themselves better to a great mop the first time.

2. Some cleaning agents leave residue, foggy finish, or granular substance, avoiding those is a great next step.

3. Sweep the surface with a clean broom first. Mopping over dirt and debris is a recipe for a bad mop job. To speed things up over large surfaces, using a push broom can help. Another option, for smaller areas is to use a vacuum attachment and suck up all the loose dirt in one shot.

4. Mopping regularly is the best game plan. This means the grout stays cleaner longer, since the post-cleaning liquid is simply cleaner. Waiting half a year for this service means it will probably take a few separate cleanings to really do a good job, unless you work hard for a full restoration.

5. There are many types of mops, and some are better for different levels of dirt and time you wish to involve yourself with this task. Disposable sweepers are great, but won’t do the job of a wet mop, when the need for that arises. Rope mops are commonly used in restaurants, but might not be necessary for more lightly soiled tile floors in the home.

6. Clean water is your friend. When the mop water starts to take on a dark color, the water is dirty and should be renewed. It can be tempting to push onward, but once the water reaches a certain ratio of dirt to water, you can end up leaving a lot of junk behind, which darken grout and leave you with a duller finish in some areas of your surface.

7. Just like sponges, mop head can begin to smell funny, and they should be properly managed for that reason. There’s nothing worse than taking a whiff of what’s left behind after an expired mop head has been used all over an area – and that smell sometimes only becomes apparent after a few minutes of drying has occurred.

Mopping is an easy job done right. While some restaurants mop every single day, mopping unused areas that often is overkill. Slick floors do present a slipping hazard so finding a good balance between necessity and hard work is a good idea.

Here's a list of some good mops